On May 21st The Most Reverend Joseph F. Marino (Bishop Emerius of Scranton) will visit MDP to confer the Sacrament of Confirmation on students in grade 6  who have completed their sacramental preparation.  These young Christians will receive the Holy Spirit, whom the Lord sent upon the Apostles on Pentecost, and become more fully conformed to Christ.  By the grace of the Holy Spirit their lives will be strengthened to enable them to bear witness to Christ as they build up his Body in faith and love.

While the initiation of children into the sacramental life is primarily the responsibility and concern of Christian parents, we as a worshiping community express the faith the Holy Spirit has produced in us by joining their parents through our participation in the celebration of the sacrament.

It is appropriate for each person being confirmed to have a sponsor for the sacrament. In addition to presenting the candidate to the Bishop the sponsor helps the newly confirmed fulfill their baptismal promises faithfully under the guidance of the Holy Spirit whom they have received.  For this reason it is desirable that the godparent at baptism, if available, also be the sponsor at confirmation.

Confirmation takes place within the celebration of Mass.  This makes clear the importance of confirmation by which the faithful are incorporated into Christ and configured to him through the bond of the three sacraments of initiation: baptism, confirmation and the Eucharist. Celebrating the rite of Confirmation at Mass affirms the fundamental  connection of the sacrament with the other Rites of Christian Initiation and allows this connection to be clearly seen and understood. Through the sacrament of confirmation those who have been born anew in baptism receive the inexpressible gift of the Holy Spirit and are further strengthened by the reception of the Eucharist.

During the celebration of the sacrament great emphasis is placed on the word of God that introduces the rite of confirmation.  It is in hearing the word of God that the many-sided work of the Holy Spirit flows out upon his church and upon each one of the baptized and confirmed.  Through this hearing of his Word, God’s will is made known in the life of Christians everywhere. During this celebration we move from listening to the word of God to the sacramental experience of the Eucharist.

The diocesan bishop is the ordinary minister of the sacrament of confirmation.  As a successor to the apostles, his presence as the sacramental minister creates a clear connection to the first pouring forth of the Holy Spirit on the apostles at Pentecost. The apostles were so filled with the Holy Spirit that by divine inspiration they began to proclaim “the mighty works of God.”  They then gave the Spirit to the faithful through the laying on of hands.  Thus the reception of the Spirit through the ministry of the bishop shows the close bond that joins the confirmed to the Church with the mandate received from Christ to bear witness to him before all.

The sacrament of confirmation is conferred through the anointing with sacred chrism on the forehead, which is done by the laying on of the hand, and through the words: “Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit.” The laying of hands on the candidate by the bishop, along with the anointing with chrism and the accompanying words clearly express the effect of the giving of the Holy Spirit.  Signed with the perfumed oil of chrism, the baptized receive the indelible character, or seal, of the Lord.  This, together with the Gift of the Spirit conforms them more closely to Christ and gives them the grace to spread the “sweet fragrance of Christ” in the world.

The sacrament of Confirmation draws us into God’s glory as we are consecrated to him and share in his three fold ministry of Priest, Prophet and King.  Our priestly ministry is witnessed in our adoration of God and through our prayerful intercession for the needs of his people.  As his current-day prophet we witness to God’s kingdom here on earth by glorifying the Lord by our lives.  And we share in his kingship by humbling ourselves and becoming servant to all through the works of charity inspired by the Spirit.

Let us pray for those to be confirmed and for all already confirmed in his love:

“Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.”

The next monthly lunch for Young Adults will be on June 2 at Providence Hall. Please join us outside the back of the Church after 11:30 Mass or just come down to Providence Hall at 12:30 if you attended another Mass. Providence Hall is attached to the school gym.

We will have a delicious hoagie lunch with other Philadelphian goodies! A small donation will be accepted to offset the cost of food.

RSVPs are encouraged and appreciated (for food planning) but not required: mdpyoungadults@gmail.com

Church: 333 Allendale Rd, King of Prussia, 19406
Providence Hall: Attached to school gym; 405 Allendale Rd, King of Prussia, 19406

This Easter season has been filled with miracles, revelations and works; all to demonstrate the saving power of God. We see these works through the poor, the sick, the lonely and in the ordinariness of our simple lives. The sacramental life of the suffering members of our parish show us what it means to be created in the image and likeness of a God Who was born lowly and suffered dishonorably.

By becoming one of us, the Son of God reaches into our bodies and raises them up so that we can become vehicles for human redemption.

Jesus, the Good Shepherd understands our struggles, our feelings of alienation and fear, our arrogance and ignorance and still gathers us up like lost sheep and rests us on His shoulders. He carries to communion with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

My dear friends, Jesus can lead us safely home if we learn to depend on Him. We cannot do it alone. We cannot save ourselves. Only God is the Lord of all life, human beings have no power over Him.

Now is the time my dear friends to listen for His voice and follow where He leads. Take His hand and allow yourselves to be transformed more greatly into the Christ. The Church needs you to know Jesus, to love Him and to confess His Name with everyone in your family, in your neighborhood, and in the workplace. Jesus is proud to say to the entire world today, “I am the good Shepherd; I know my sheep, and mine know me!”

The MDP Young Adults will be hosting our first food drive this weekend at all Masses! All donations will go to the Norristown Food Cupboard at Catholic Social Services. They are in great need of food at this time! Suggested donations include soups, canned tuna, pasta, sauce, canned vegetables or fruit, hot or cold cereal, and crackers, however any non-perishable food items are greatly appreciated.

Come meet the young adults of our Parish and help feed our community. Any questions? youngadults@mdpparish.com

Ever since Holy Saturday Evening, we have been encountering the risen Christ. Everywhere we look, we see signs of Him. Every day at Mass, we hear of his appearances to His Apostles and Disciples and have come to believe that the tomb was really empty.

But, there are people in the world today that do not believe in the resurrection of Jesus, or those who have chosen to ignore it. And so we come together as a parish this weekend to be strengthened in our worship of God because you see, we see the Risen Christ! We can touch Him!

We can testify together to this Truth that Jesus is alive and dwells among us. We look to this Altar and say like Peter, “It is the Lord.”

My friends, we come here every weekend to encounter the Lord Jesus, Who died and rose again in a very personal way. When we experience Him in the Eucharistic Bread, our lives are changed; they are lifted up, expanded, spilling over with love.

And so Jesus asks us, “Do you love me” more than material things? Then teach others to do the same. “Do you love me more” than your self? Then teach others to do the same. “Do you love me” enough to give me away to others who need me? Tend my sheep.

Jesus is alive and lives among us. Be bold in your witness like the Apostles who were ordered to stop speaking in the name of Jesus but continued anyway and they rejoiced that they had been found worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of His Name.

You can do it! You encounter Jesus, take Him with you and give Him away to those who need Him! He is risen, Alleluia!

For young adults in the parish, out next lunch will be this Sunday, April 7 – please meet us outside the back of the Church after 11:30 Mass. Our group has a full spectrum of singles, married, and young families with events to accommodate all. To RSVP or if you have any questions, please email youngadults@mdpparish.com

“The splendor of Christ risen from the dead has shone on the people redeemed by His blood, Alleluia.” (Antiphon from Easter’s Morning Prayer)  May we continue to live the transformation that we have experienced in our lives during this past Lenten Season.  Let us continue to release the Divine Presence through our actions.  Jesus is alive in us, the people of Mother of Divine Providence Parish.  ALLELUIA!

During the past five weeks, our parish community has prayed, fasted and given alms with a special focus on the poorest members of our global community.  Our lives were touched by learning about the people of Burkina Faso, East Timor, Lesotho, Dominican Republic and Pakistan.  Through our Lenten prayers and donations to the Rice Bowl we have touched the lives of millions of people served by Catholic Relief Services, our representative to the poorest countries in the world.  Thank you for your generosity.

If you would like to learn more about the Social Teachings of the Church, may we suggest reading Living Justice: Catholic Social Teaching in Action by Thomas Massaro, SJ.

Today marks the beginning of a holy week of remembrance. Through the Scripture, Song and Sacred Ritual, we commemorate Christ’s Passion, Death and Resurrection. Our journey to God leads us now to the gates of Jerusalem where ‘Jesus emptied Himself and accepted death on a cross.’ We come to this time and place, open to the wonders of the power of Christ’s death; a power that brings new life to those who have lost hope, a home to the confused, and healing to those who suffer.

We find encouragement on this journey from the Gospels. The Pope said this morning, we should “not be men and women of sadness: a Christian can never be sad! Never give way to discouragement! Ours is not a joy that comes from having many possessions, but from having encountered a Person: Jesus, from knowing that with Him we are never alone!”

We are meeting Jesus on His Way through Jerusalem. He is here for a purpose: to be proclaimed a King. But, what kind of King? Jesus is a King who is humbled, who suffers, who will be sacrificed.

As we walk along this road with Him we come to understand our own frailties and see in His poverty a heart still young and strong, fired with love for us. We will watch Him fall three times and in each fall see in ourselves an opportunity to rise again and keep on walking, close to the cross, like Simon the Cyrene.

My dear friends, this is the moment to draw out of our busy lives the love we have for Jesus; to feel our hearts pumping with the excitement of knowing the person of Jesus; of seeing in faces around us a need to be cared for, an encouraging word, a simple towel with which to wipe their faces.

Take these moments of holy week and savor them, for they are, in each minute, a love song for you to offer the God Who is ever present in your life and wishes only that you love Him in return.

“Christ’s cross embraced with love does not lead to sadness, but to joy! The joy of being saved and doing a little bit what He did that day of His death.” (Francis, Pontiff)

With young hearts that “never grow old,” “let us welcome the Lord as He comes, with songs and hymns, let us run to meet Him, as we offer Him our joyful worship and sing: ‘Blessed be the Lord.” (Canticle Antiphon)